Civic mindedness

I guess it's never too early to start 'em.

Mummy's making me handle my own bio-hazard


Into the bin it goes!... Yay!

Gloria's milestones

It's been a while since I've uploaded any pics or blogged. So as a treat, I'm loading up VIDEOS!! The videos features some milestones that Gloria has gone through.

First there was The Crawl. The Crawl is Gloria's unique way of crawling... it's part walk, part crawl. Looks like more effort is needed to move around this way, but she mastered it and crawls at lightspeed this way.. :P

After that, Gloria discovered that she can utilise her new found mobility to climb the stairs!

Noticed I was coercing her by saying "Yes" ? Well, it should've actually happened like this

Gloria also learnt the joys of riding toy cars.

Another thing she picked up was, picking up the phone!

Of course, naturally, crawling became a bore and Gloria wanted to learn how to walk.

Soon after that video, she did master the art of walking without aid. Albeit, she still looks a little bit like a drunken sailor shaking off his sea legs when she walks. Last but not least.... the grand finale of this post.

I give you.....




Gloria Dancing (ala Pocoyo)

Enjoy!

Gong Xi Fa Cai

Happy Chinese New Year. May the rat usher in Peace and Prosperity to you and your loved ones

I thought I was a light sleeper...

I mean, I usually wake relatively easy (or comparatively to my hubby at least). Phone rings, I'm awake. Gloria stirs, I'm awake. Dog barks, I'm awake. My hubby snores louder, I'm awake.

However, there has been times when I just slept like a log. Like when the time I was young and the house caught on fire, and the fireengine was here.... I slept through (much to my parent's amazement). And then there was the time when my house alarm went off, and both hubby and I slept through (much to the amazement of my neighbours).

Then there was last night...

I was sleeping soundly. *Ding Dong* *knock knock knock* *Ding Dong*
Now who in the sane mind would be ringing the doorbell at midnight? And oh... I failed to mention.. I'm in Jakarta... so that really would negate the social-call-by-nightbird-friends theory.

Peeping through the door, I saw my 2 junior colleagues.

"Did you feel that?" One asked

"Feel what?"

"There was a tremor!"

"A what?"

"Tremor! Macam earthquake!"

"Seriously?" Still sleepy and perplexed

"Yalar.... Should we go down or not?"

"Erm... I think it should be over"

I noticed that there was no mad rush of people running down the stairs... and I guess that stopped me from being panicky

"OK. We'll go down and check it out"

"Alright.. you do that..."

Then I closed the door and went back to bed. I sms-ed hubby too.
Just as I was drifting to dreamland...

*Ding Dong* *knock knock knock*

"Cyrene!... There are people downstairs. Everyone felt it! I was on the bed and I felt the shaking!"

"Yeah.. I was walking to the washroom and I felt it!" piped the other colleague

"Oh... I must have slept through it.. I didn't feel anything" smiling sheepishly

Afterwhich, we retired to our room.

This morning, when I woke up, this is what I read at CNN.

7.5 on the scales and I slept through it! Happens only 18 times a year and I was here when it happened!

I wonder if we have travel insurance :S

Music to my ears...

Earlier tonight, in an attempt to get Gloria's attention, I took her bolster and hit the sofa with it. And this is what happened



BLISS...

Blogging

I never managed to keep a diary. Never really know how to log down my thoughts daily / weekly / monthly.

This blog, is my most successful attempt in keeping a diary. Even so, it's hardly updated. At times I miss blogging, at times I get writer's block.

But wait a minute.

Whom am I writing for?

Would this blog still be here 21 years from now? Would my daughter one day stumble upon this site and read all my posts? I don't know.

Whom am I writing for? I realise now more than ever, I'm writing for myself. My attempts to do otherwise has been just downright corny.

So there.

Let's see how long I can keep this endeavour up.

Our Deepest Fear...

Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we
are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most
frightens us. We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented,
fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing
small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so
that other people won't feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as
children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us.
It's not just in some of us; it's in everyone. And as we let our own light
shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are
liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others. -- Marianne Williamson

When it rains, it pours!

When we thought the whole car fiasco was over.....

our ole faithful (highly doubting that term now actually) decides to present us with a 'clutch' issue. We've to send it in to the workshop again on Saturday.


I think our car has fallen in love with the mechanic

Double Trouble

1p.m.

It all started during lunch. Hubby and I met up for lunch as usual and we went to the usual area. I had an appointment lined up at about 2p.m. with my CEO and so we hurried through lunch so that I can get back in time.

It was a REALLY HOT afternoon, and the prospect of getting back into the aircond environment of the car was inviting. Quickly hubby flicked the key into ignition...


Kkkkrnnnkk! ..... said the car..... and the alarm went off.

Oh no... Hubby tried again...

KKKRRRRnnnkk! .... exclaimed the car again... and again the alarm went off.

These were somewhat indicative that the battery was exhausted. Thankfully there were a few car spare parts shop and a mechanic shop around. So we decided to just get a battery. 20 minutes later, a young chap helped us install the new battery.

Time check, 1.50p.m... Hurrah... I can make it back to office in time.

Hubby tried to start the engine again....

KKKRRRRNnkkkkkk .... EEEEEEEeeeee! complained the car!

What? How could it do this to us now!?!

The young mechanic chap checked and it was our air cond bearing that was jammed. The workaround for us to get out of the predicament would be to remove the belt, so that the car can start, but we won't have the aircond.

Time check, 2p.m... OK! We'll take that workaround.

Made it back to office by 2.15p.m. .... CEO was occupied and so I wasn't late after all.

8p.m.

We decided to drop by our neighbourhood mechanic on the way back to check out the damage on the aircond (a very very nice chap indeed). He initially forewarned hubby that the aircond would give way in the near future.... and true enough it did. He asked us to leave the car for a day tomorrow and he'll get it done.

The plan was to get my Father In Law's car, and use it for the next day while our car was in the workshop. So we went to my in law's for dinner, and I drove my FIL's car back.

Upon reaching the workshop, I heard a hissing noise. A quick glance at the temperature gauge.... 'H' . Oh this was SO NOT GOOD!

I told hubby and he told the mechanic, and they checked under the hood. The fan was not working! Oh well, they had a good laugh (at the coincidence) and thought, no biggie, we'll just change the fan and that's that.

1 hour later, fan fixed, let's check it out....... hang on! What's that? Water dripping from one of the hose. Check check....

Water pump leaking.... this car will not be going anywhere tonight!

Lesser of two evils

So it ended up, leaving my FIL's car for repair, we drove off with our aircondless car. We'll do the swap the next day when my FIL's car is repaired.

What a day!

Shiver me timbers!

I'm a fan of Johnny "Dreamy Eyes" Depp. Not a crazy fan though... I don't go out collecting every movie he's acted in... but generally I just like to look at him... I like the roles he takes on... they are not ... conventional.

I absolutely LURVED him as Capt Jack Sparrow in Pirates of the Caribbean : The curse of the Black Pearl. When I heard that POC: Dead Man's Chest was coming out... I told DH that I HAD to watch it. Deep inside, I knew that the sequel will never surpass the first movie... but what the heck.. it's Johnny Depp!

Alas, when POC:DMC premiered here... I was stuck in Jakarta. EVERY DAY, when I turn on the television, the trailer would tease me.... the clips of the Red Carpet event of Pirates of the Caribbean would tease me.... E! TV kept running features of Johnny Depp... ARGH!... I have to go.

So finally yesterday, we decided to meet up Lens and go watch the movie. We got 6 rows from the front of the screen, even though Lens tried to butter up the guy over at the ticket counter. I guess the guy over the ticket counter just didn't take to Lens' charms :P

After getting our drinks and chips and popcorns, we made a beeline to the cinema. Oh well, 6 rows from the front ain't all that bad... And lo and behold... a cute chick actually is seated next to Lens... must be his lucky night. That was till....................

At a scene that was meant to probably just make you jump in your seat a little, we heard a blood curdling scream (ok lar a bit exagerated... but a horrific scream is a horrific scream). I turned to the direction of the scream and there I saw Lens, with the 'oh-my-god' look. At that time it didn't register to me that it was the cute chick sitting next to him that turned into Banshee.

As the movie progressed, every time Davey Jones, the Kraken and the scene of Elizabeth's dress swaying over the deck (hehe ok lar this one she didn't scream lar), cute chick would turn into Banshee.... hahahah She was clearly enjoying the movie A LOT.

Lens, DH and I had a good laugh about it after the movie. Everyone of us in the theatre enjoyed the 5.1 surround sound effecct, but Lens had 5.2 ... Banshee sat next to him... what an experience to remember.

p.s (who screams in a Disney movie anyway? ) :P

Once upon a time ....

there was a couple, Jack and Jill*. Jill is 5 months pregnant with their first child. Now Jack's career requires him to travel around the region a bit. So it was that Tuesday morning, he had to take a trip to Thailand.

Jill helped Jack iron his shirts and pack his bag the night before, and they retired a little late in the night. Jack's taxi was due to arrive at 5 am Tuesday morning. Afraid of oversleeping, Jack set the alarm clock to 4 am.

When the alarm clock went off, Jill woke up too, as she was a light sleeper. Sleepy eyed, she stayed up to kiss Jack and wish him good luck for his trip. Once Jack was out of the door and into the taxi, Jill climbed back to bed and fell asleep.

Jill was rudely awaken at 5.50 am by her mobile phone. Thinking that it was just Jack telling her that he has reached the terminal safely, she lazily reached out for the phone.

"Hello, Jill?" said the voice on the other end.
"Yes?" sleepily said Jill.
"It's Jack.. I need you to do something for me. I left my passport at home!"

Jill's eyelids immediately peeled back. Jack's flight is scheduled at 8 am. She'll have to hurry to make it in time to the airport.

"OK, I'll go immediately" promised Jill.

In haste she showered and dressed. Grabbed Jack's passport, ran down the stairs, fed the dog, and drove off towards the airport.

10 minutes into her journey, she heard an odd knocking sound from outside of her car.
"Oh no, please don't let anything be wrong with the car... not now... please" silently Jill prayed.

Jill turned on the indicator lights and came to a stop at the layby. Upon inspecting the car, Jill found that the right front indicator lamp had come loose and was hanging out. Causing it to knock against the chasis of the car. Quickly she shoved the light back in and continued her journey.

She called Jack to inform him of the light.

"It's ok.. take your time... no need to hurry. Drive safely honey." said Jack calmly.

Multiple calls and multiple km/h above the speed limit later, Jill arrived at the terminal. Jack was there waiting and thankfully took the passport from Jill.

With a sigh of relief, Jill made her way back to civilization (as the airport was really so far away, one wonders if there was ever civilization there). Jill thought she may as well report for work early that day. But wait!

Oh no!

In her haste to bring Jack his passport, she left her laptop at home!

Jill had to drive all the way home (which by the way was the opposite direction to her office), to get her laptop before going to work.

What a way to begin the day!.... And the light had to pop out again midway through the journey.

-This is based on a true story.
*Names have been changed to protect the anonimity of the characters.